Hyperion: A Case for Unified, Self-Hosting, Zero-CPU Data-Processing Units (DPUs)

Abstract: Since the inception of computing, we have been reliant on CPU-powered architectures. However, today this reliance is challenged by manufacturing limitations (CMOS scaling), performance expectations (stalled clocks, Turing tax), and security concerns (microarchitectural attacks). To re-imagine our computing architecture, in this work we take a more radical but pragmatic approach and propose to eliminate the CPU with its design baggage, and integrate three primary pillars of computing, i.e., networking, storage, and computing, into a single, self-hosting, unified CPU-free Data Processing Unit (DPU) called Hyperion. In this paper, we present the case for Hyperion, its design choices, initial work-in-progress details, and seek feedback from the systems community.